


Timeless Love

by junakabisque



Category: Alice Nine
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-24
Updated: 2012-10-24
Packaged: 2018-01-08 16:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1134946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junakabisque/pseuds/junakabisque
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After having undergone a heart transplant operation, Tora began having flashbacks in his mind. He kept seeing the faces of two people he didn't know. Who were they? How could Tora be having memories of them? Would Tora get the answers to all of his questions?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timeless Love

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to charlotte8888uk@LJ for beta-reading and sazeixrinshou@LJ for the banner. Based on Timeless MV, [Part 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3Yh6iq2koc) and [Part 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUCwyEVymTk) by Zhang Li Yin feat. Xiah Junsu.

**  
Tora’s POV   
**

 

It was a few months ago, when I had started having these flashbacks in my mind. That time, I had been woken up by a painful throb of my heart, as I sat up abruptly and found myself on a hospital bed. Sweating, I placed my palm on my chest, exactly where my heart was. I was practically topless, save for the bandage that wrapped around my torso. I tried to recollect the scenes before I woke up in this state. However, what flashed through my mind was the incident that happened _a year ago_.

 

~Flashback~  
A rather handsome cop aimed his gun at me, as I kept the light brown-haired man hostage, secure in my tight grasp. We—my cronies and I—had been surrounded, but neither of those cops dared come forward even a step closer to us, for I had the muzzle of my gun pressed dangerously on the light brown-haired man’s temple. I had thought that we might have succeeded and could have found a way to escape, if only there had been no brave yet stupid cop who had finally decided to reason with me.

 

Un-armed—although he still wore his bulletproof vest—and his hands were raised up above his head as he walked forward cautiously. I could tell that the man I was holding had begun crying when he saw the cop and I heard him pleading at him to step back.

 

_“Don’t… Don’t come near us, Shou,”_ he had said in a trembling voice.

 

I had pressed my gun harder against his temple afterwards. I remembered I had shouted at the cop to listen to the man’s words if he still wanted to live. However, the cop continued approaching us.

 

_“Release him,”_ he said in a calm tone.

 

The movement behind me startled me slightly and I saw from the corner of my eye that one of my cronies had started shooting at our enemy again. We all wore masks, but I knew it was Hiroto. Then I realised that the cops were all now aiming their guns at us. I stepped back, dragging the light brown-haired man with me, as I moved my gun from his temple and aimed it at the cop who was previously trying to reason with me. He hadn’t pulled the trigger, although he was on the front line.

 

_“Shou! Just go!”_ I heard the man scream.

 

I was ready to pull the trigger, and I finally did, after the foolish cop behind the one who was called Shou, shot at Hiroto. It missed, though, but it was enough to fuel my anger. Without a second thought, I pulled the trigger and as if in a slow motion, I could see the bullet shot towards the foolish cop. However, _he_ was on the way.

 

_“SHOU!!!”_

 

Blood gushed out from the side of his head, as his body started falling backwards. My eyes widened. I had shot him, instead of the foolish cop. The man in my tight grasp started crying uncontrollably, it made my ears hurt. Then next, everything happened in a flash. Whilst the cops had been distracted by the fall of one of their comrades, my other crony—Nao—had come to help us escape with his van. I remembered Hiroto shouted at me, _“Just release him now, Tora! We no longer need him.”_

 

Instantly, I released the light brown-haired man from my tight grasp, pushing him away harshly until he fell onto his knees onto the ground. I ran towards Nao’s van—the man himself was still shooting at the cops mercilessly—getting in it and sitting on the backseats next to Hiroto. It was after the van had driven away that I took my mask off. I smiled wickedly, feeling no regret at all for having shot the cop and instead, I was overwhelmed because we had succeeded in our mission. I heard both Nao and Hiroto laughing along with me. That was when I noticed that I had been holding something in my hand—the one that wasn’t holding the gun. It was a silver necklace with heart-shaped locket. I frowned, staring at the necklace in confusion.  
~End of Flashback~

 

I shook my head and shut my eyes tightly. Why on earth I was having these images in my mind, flashing repeatedly just like movie scenes of a broken video cassette, I never knew. I didn’t know either how they seemed to be related to the incident a year ago. For the record, though, I had actually retired from my _dirty_ job. I had stopped going on any missions, either it was to rob, to deal drugs, or to murder some prominent citizen. I could still remember how my boss’ face contorted in disappointment, maybe because he was going to lose his ace man. However, I couldn’t bear my illness any longer.

 

Yes, it was a few months ago, when I finally collapsed from a heart attack. Of course, I didn’t know the details at first. It was after _that day_ when I regained my consciousness—the first time I had those images flashing in my mind—when I came to Hiroto and asked him what had happened after I collapsed. He told me that I had had a heart transplant. From whom I received a new heart, I was still curious until now.

 

It was such a miracle that bad people like me still got a second chance to live. Or was it because God appreciated my intention to come clean? Putting aside the relief I had felt since my operation, I couldn’t help but feel bothered by _these_ flashing images. It was a wonder that the incident that happened a year ago had become indistinct after my operation. The day when I regained my consciousness was the first and the last time I had those images flashing in my mind so vividly. After that, I would only have the images of a light brown-haired man whom I didn’t know flashing in my mind. I remembered his smile, his laughter, his cheerfulness around me… Who was he? Why did he look happy around me? As if… As if we were both related. Even worse, as if we were both _lovers_. Still, I couldn’t remember I had met him—or a man who looked similar to him—before. Really, this was killing me!

 

~*~

 

Back to the present time, I was now driving home alone. Cars crowded the road and I suddenly felt annoyed, knowing that I wouldn’t make it on time to return home. When the traffic was finally normal again, _his_ face flashed in my mind again. My head hurt and I had to shut my eyes tight for a few seconds, nearly causing me to collide with the car in front of me. I exhaled loudly after I managed to hit the brake. _Shit!_ , I cursed quietly. I decided to slow down my pace then. My mind had gone unfocused and next thing I knew, I was driving in the opposite direction to the way back to my home.

 

I barely recognised the location, but it seemed like I had gone downtown. I knew that what I was supposed to do was to leave from here for I had no business at all in this place. Nevertheless, my conscience seemed to have taken control of my brain. I continued driving at a slow pace; eyeing each store or pub that I was passing. That was when I spotted a flower shop ahead of me, and I suddenly felt like I belonged there. A strange feeling, definitely. I had never visited this flower shop even once in my entire life, but why did it feel familiar to me?

 

Out of curiosity, I parked in front of the flower shop, eyeing the inside of it from my car. I noticed that there was a person sitting behind the counter, seemingly reading something like a book. I focused my eyes on that person, gasping quietly as I realised that it was the same light brown-haired man whose face I had been seeing in my mind. Was it fate that brought me here to meet him? But why? Why did we have to meet? Did he have something to do with me?

 

Deciding that it was time for me to get the answers to all of my questions, I got out of my car. My feet seemed to move on their own, taking me inside the flower shop. The bell chimed as I opened the door to the flower shop, earning a soft greeting from that man.

 

“ _Irasshaimase_ ,” he said in a velvet voice.

 

I stood awkwardly in the doorway, somehow losing my ability to speak. The man in front of me was tremendously gorgeous. It was very different to see him in person, compared to the vague images of him in my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder, had I met him before? I was pretty sure that I hadn’t, but what was with this overwhelming feeling? It was as if I couldn’t control my happiness for meeting him again after I hadn’t seen him for ages. _I have never met him!_ , I fought with my inner self.

 

“ _Ano_ … May I help you, Sir?”

 

I was brought back to reality once I heard his velvet voice again. I stepped forward towards him, eyeing him thoroughly. Each step caused my heart to throb painfully against my chest. By the time I arrived in front of him, I lost my balance and I had to grip the edge of the counter tightly to prevent me from falling. My other hand was fisting my clothed chest. I could tell that my face was obviously telling him that I was in pain.

 

“Are you okay, Sir?” he asked again.

 

I lifted my face up—a bead of perspiration rolled down my temple—and found that he was staring at me worriedly. His eyebrows knitted together and he had moved from behind the counter to stand beside me.

 

“I’m… I’m okay,” I breathed out my reply.  
“Please, sit down here.”

 

Then he helped me sit on the chair behind the counter, retreating to the back of the shop. He returned not so long after with a glass of water in his hand. He put the glass down on the counter.

 

“Sorry for bothering you,” I apologised.  
“ _Iie, daijoubu_. By the way, may I know what made you come here?”

 

I was silent at first. I knew that if I told him right away about the flashbacks that I had, he might be freaked out. Therefore, I decided to have just a small talk with him for the time being. I watched him moving another empty chair to sit beside me. Then I opened my mouth to speak.

 

“I… wanted to buy flowers,” I lied.

 

His mouth shaped a perfect O as he nodded in understanding and muttered _‘of course’_. Then he smiled; a smile that I believed I had never seen before, but I felt familiar with it. His smile magically made all the flowers in this shop lose their beauty. It was as if he were a kind of flower too; the most beautiful one, in this case. I realised that I had been gawking like a fool, completely absorbed by the dazzling angelic figure in front of me. Maybe he didn’t notice it or just ignored me; he said nothing about my stupid look and rose up from his chair instead.

 

“Which ones would you like to buy?” he asked me.  
“Err…” I didn’t know what to say.  
“Are you going to give them to your girlfriend?”

 

My heart almost leaped up as I saw him wink at me. However, at the same time I felt like he was forcing himself to look cheerful around me. Like, he was trying to hide his sadness from me. Yes, I was sure of it. I saw it in his eyes that his cheerfulness didn’t reach those gorgeous eyes of his. I rose up as well, walking towards him slowly.

 

“What’s the most beautiful flower in this shop?” I asked him.  
“Erm…” he tilted his head to the side just slightly, probably thinking of an answer, “You know it’s subjective. But in my opinion, the most beautiful flower is the lily.”  
“Give me a bouquet of them, then.”  
“All right. Please, wait a moment.”

 

I watched as he gathered the lilies for me, scanning the entire shop in silence. I swear I had never been here before, but damn it, everything in this shop felt familiar to me! My gaze fell upon the photo frame on the counter, which I had failed to notice earlier. I narrowed my eyes to make out whose faces it was that had been captured, stepping towards it slowly when I realised that my eyesight was no longer as perfect as it used to be. I stood petrified in my spot—only a foot away from the counter—when I finally saw the people in the photo.

 

The flashback came into my mind again; but it was so vague that I could barely recognise the faces. However, I had the feeling that I had seen the man in this photo before—he was hugging the florist from behind. I tried hard to remember when and where I first met him, until my head hurt. When suddenly a realisation hit me, I spun around immediately, eyes widening in horror. The florist had just finished doing his task and when he turned around, he looked a bit startled because I was staring at him in a frightening way, making him unaware that I was actually trying to deny the thought in my head. My heart throbbed again and I fisted my clothed chest, eyebrows knitting together in pain. Without putting down the bouquet of lilies in his arms, he half-ran towards me. He took the glass of water from the counter and handed it to me.

 

“Please, drink this. You look unwell,” he said.

 

My fingers grazed his and the glass nearly slipped from my grasp as he suddenly pulled his hand back. We muttered our apologies to each other in unison, turning our heads away so that we weren’t staring at each other. I only sipped the water a little, just enough to wet my dry mouth and then I put the glass back down.

 

“Thanks.”  
“You’re welcome,” he replied.

 

Then I saw him move to his post behind the counter again, taking something out from the drawer. He showed the thing to me; it was a greeting card.

 

“Do you want to add a note?” he asked.

 

I was silent at first, but then I nodded. He did the same and took his ballpoint pen, holding it between his fingers and waiting for me to dictate my note. I had no idea how I could come up with these words as they escaped my lips so freely.

> _Timeless… It isn’t separation, is it?  
>  If there’s one life, it’s us now._

The florist didn’t write the words right away, he stared at me in an odd way instead. When he finally did, I noticed that his hand was shaking. He then spoke to me, “My handwriting isn’t the best, but I’m trying my best.”

 

“It’s no big deal,” I replied.  
“Well,” he fidgeted, “Do you want me to put your name here?”  
“Erm, sure.”  
“And your name is…?”  
“… Tora.”  
“Okay,” he wrote down my name, “What about the recipient’s name?”  
“What’s your name?” I asked back.  
“M-my name? Err, I… My name’s Saga,” he stuttered.  
“Write that down then,” I ordered him again.

 

I could tell that he was so damn confused right now. However, he wrote his own name down on the note at last. I pulled out my wallet, shoving more than enough amount of money onto the counter, earning another confused stare from him.

 

“Keep the change… and the lilies. They suit you,” I said calmly.  
“B-but—“  
“Thanks for your kindness, by the way.”

 

After that, I turned on my heels to leave. I could feel his gaze boring a hole in my back, but I didn’t turn around. Once outside, I bit my lower lip to fight the pain in my chest. My heart was throbbing madly, as if it protested because I had decided to leave the flower shop. It was hard work just to reach my car. I opened the car door and got in. I wasted no more time as I hurriedly drove away from there. The florist’s face was haunting me again during my way back home. _Saga_ … why did that name sound familiar to me?

***

**  
Saga’s POV   
**

 

I was still in my parents’ flower shop, reading a collection of romantic poems. It had always inspired me to come up with romantic lines every time my costumers couldn’t find anything to write on their greeting cards. I flipped to the next page, only to find some lines that caught my attention.

> _If I can see you just a bit more,  
>  I’d smile for the amount of love left._

My eyes shifted to the other lines below the ones I read just now.

> _I’ll be leaving with the world,  
>  But will sadness also go with me?_

Then the last ones were enough to draw my tears out.

> _We both agree,  
>  This is timeless love._

Fighting the urge to cry, I bit my lower lip as my mind drifted off to _that day_ a few months ago.

 

~Flashback~  
I sat beside _his_ bed just like usual. I had been routinely visiting him in this hospital, each day praying that soon he would wake up. However, a year had passed since that incident happened. The incident where I had been kept hostage and he, of all people, came to save me… only to cause him to fall into a comatose state afterwards. Yes, after that criminal who held me tightly pulled the trigger of his gun, shooting a deadly bullet in the love of my life’s direction. I remembered I had screamed his name so loud when I saw blood gushing out from the side of his head.

 

_“SHOU!!!”_

 

A year had passed and Shou hadn’t regained consciousness yet. The doctor had said to his parents that since it had been a year, there might be no more hope left. Knowing my status was merely his lover, I had guessed that his parents didn’t need my permission to sign the consent form so that Shou could donate his vital organs. However, here they were, in the same room as Shou and I were, handing the consent form to me.

 

_“Saga, dear… what do you think?”_ I heard his mother ask me in a hoarse voice.

 

To be honest, I wanted Shou to be by my side forever and vice versa. I still wanted to believe that there was still hope… that someday, Shou would wake up. However, his parents had given up themselves; now who was I to object? I could only lower my head and nod slightly; hiding my face from them so that they wouldn’t see a single tear that escaped my eye. I turned to face Shou again, holding his hand tightly. I heard a rustling noise behind me, signalling to me that his parents were signing the consent form whilst the doctor and the nurses were waiting around them.

 

Soon, I was gently being pulled away from Shou’s bedside, since the nurses had to detach all the stuff that had been keeping Shou alive. Tears rolled freely down my cheeks, watching them in silence. There was nothing I could do even though I perfectly knew that what they were doing, was nothing other than bringing Shou to his own death. Really, there was nothing I could do, except to cry silently. I couldn’t even say goodbye to him.

 

~*~ 

 

The sadness hadn’t left me yet, and now I heard that there was a patient that needed a heart transplant. Shou’s parents were not different at all. The three of us widened our eyes in disbelief that Shou had to donate his heart _this_ fast. It had been only six hours after Shou’s parents signed the consent form, for the love of God! I could tell that Shou’s mother seemed unwilling to give her approval, but her husband reminded her that they had signed the consent form. Therefore, they couldn’t say no.

 

Then time flew by so quickly that the next thing we knew, we were all now waiting for… for what? For nothing. The operation was being done and after that, what would we get? Definitely, it was Shou’s dead body with the heart no longer there. We weren’t allowed to know the recipient’s identity. Then what were we actually waiting for now? Misery. Yes… It was misery that we would get after the operation was done. I seemed to have no more tears left, as I sat on the bench, probably looking lifeless.

 

When the operation was finally done, the doors of the operating theatre opened and the doctors came out. We didn’t even catch a glimpse of the recipient’s face for our minds were too occupied by Shou, who was now being taken back to his old room. Once we were all gathered there, the doctor and the nurses gave us privacy. What could we do now? Gather all his belongings and prepare for his funeral? That sounded painful, but it was the last thing we could do now. As if on cue, Shou’s father began gathering his belongings whilst his mother stood beside his bed, crying silently. After a few moments, she turned around and took my hand, motioning to me to stand beside her. Without being told to, I quickly hugged her. 

 

_“Saga… He’s gone,”_ she said to me between her sobs.

 

I could only nod my chin against her shoulder, no longer able to shed tears. Then I let go of her, leaning over towards Shou’s dead body to place one final kiss on his lips.  
~End of Flashback~

 

I was practically shoving my fist inside my mouth to muffle my sobs now. In the end, I couldn’t fight the urge to cry now that I recollected the scenes of _that day_. Some of my tears even fell onto the book in my hand, blotting the white paper with wet dark stains. However, that was when I heard the bell chime. I quickly wiped my tears off my face, trying to make my voice sound normal when I greeted my customer.

 

“ _Irasshaimase_.”

 

I froze as I saw the face of my customer. I didn’t know whether I was hallucinating or my eyesight had gotten worse, but… was it Shou’s face I saw just now? I tried to regain my composure and I blinked rapidly. By the time I focused my eyes on my customer’s face again, I saw a different face. The tall man with dark raven hair who stood at the doorway wore an anxious expression on his face, but he looked surprised too. Was there something on my face? Suddenly, all the sadness I was feeling had been erased for a while. I opened my mouth to speak to my customer.

 

“ _Ano_ … May I help you, Sir?” I asked him.

 

He didn’t answer and walked forward towards me instead. I watched in silence and had a feeling that he looked like he was in pain. Once he arrived at the counter, he lost his balance but fortunately, he managed to grip the edge of the counter before he fell. I gasped quietly as I moved from my post behind the counter to stand beside him, knitting my eyebrows together and staring at him worriedly.

 

“Are you okay, Sir?” I asked him again.

 

He lifted his face up to look at me, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple.

 

“I’m… I’m okay,” he finally answered.  
“Please, sit down here.”

 

I helped him move to sit on the chair behind the counter that I was previously occupying, retreating to the kitchen to get a glass of water for him. I was back in no time, placing the glass down onto the counter. Without me expecting it, he apologised to me for bothering me. I shook my head and assured him that it was okay. Then I asked him what had made him come here, which was a stupid question because after he fell into silence for a few seconds, he answered that he wanted to buy flowers. I nodded and smiled at him, earning a somewhat bewildered look from him. However, I said nothing as I rose up from my chair.

 

“Which ones would you like to buy?” I asked him.  
“Err…” was all he could say in response.  
“Are you going to give them to your girlfriend?”

 

I tried to act normally, winking at him because I knew that most men who came here wanted to buy flowers for their lovers. There was the anxiety on his face again. Did I say something wrong? I watched him rise up from his chair, walking towards me slowly.

 

“What’s the most beautiful flower in this shop?” he asked me.  
“Erm…” I tilted my head to the side just slightly, thinking of an answer, “You know it’s subjective. But in my opinion, the most beautiful flower is the lily.”  
“Give me a bouquet of them, then.”  
“All right. Please, wait a moment.”

 

I took a moment to gather up the lilies as he had ordered just now. By the time I was done and turned around again, I was honestly surprised to see him staring at me like _that_ ; like, he had just heard some bad news. I noticed that he had moved to stand beside the counter again. Then in a blink of eye, I saw his face contort in pain, his hand fisting his clothed chest. Without putting down the bouquet of lilies in my arms, I half-ran towards him. I took the glass of water from the counter and handed it to him.

 

“Please, drink this. You look unwell,” I said to him.

 

When his fingers grazed mine, I pulled my hand back and it nearly caused the glass to slip from his hand. I muttered my apologies and he did the same at the same time, both of us turning our heads away just so we didn’t have to look at each other’s faces.

 

“Thanks,” he said after drinking the water.  
“You’re welcome,” I replied.

 

Then I remembered that I had to finish my task as I moved back to my post behind the counter, taking a greeting card out from inside a drawer. I asked him whether he wanted to add a note or not and he nodded. I took my ballpoint pen, waiting for him to dictate his note. He finally spoke.

> _Timeless… It isn’t separation, is it?  
>  If there’s one life, it’s us now._

The words that escaped his lips petrified me. I stared at him in silence, wondering who he actually was. Why did those words bring up this weird feeling in my heart? Why did I feel like… it was Shou who was standing before me now, instead of the tall dark-haired man who happened to be my late night costumer? Realising that I might look like I was daydreaming, I quickly wrote down his notes on the greeting card. Whilst doing that, my hand was shaking and I had to make a lame excuse for that.

 

“My handwriting isn’t the best, but I’m trying my best.”  
“It’s no big deal,” he replied.  
“Well,” I fidgeted, “Do you want me to put your name here?”  
“Erm, sure.”  
“And your name is…?”  
“… Tora.”  
“Okay,” I wrote down his name, “What about the recipient’s name?”  
“What’s your name?” he asked back.  
“M-my name? Err, I… My name’s Saga,” I stuttered, completely puzzled by his previous question.  
“Write that down then,” he ordered me again.

 

Still confused, I wrote down my name as well. From the corner of my eye, I saw him taking his wallet out. Then much to my surprise, he put down more than enough money on the counter to pay for the bouquet of lilies he just bought.

 

“Keep the change… and the lilies. They suit you,” he said to me calmly.  
“B-but—“  
“Thanks for your kindness, by the way,” he cut my sentence off.

 

After that, he turned to leave. I couldn’t help but stare at his back, wondering why that back of his looked like… Shou’s.

***

**  
Tora’s POV   
**

 

I didn’t know what had gotten into me. Why was I fumbling through the folders in my private library, searching for a certain piece of information? This curiosity had taken control of me and I couldn’t seem to stop until I found what I was looking for. I had been spending hours here, right after I returned home from that flower shop. I had rushed in here without even taking my shoes off. Now I had almost given up, but that was when my hand touched the seemingly correct folder. I pulled it off the shelves, flipping the pages open. Yes, I had found the correct folder, for it was full of personal information of those people who were related to my targets in the old days.

 

Here it was; the personal information of _that_ cop… Kohara Kazamasa, the inspector of Japanese Police Department. The cop whom I had shot, the very same man as in that photo I had seen in the flower shop. The flashbacks emerged again and the folder slithered from my hand. I fell onto my knees, kneeling on the floor beside the folder as I held my head with both of my hands. I wanted to scream because I couldn’t bear this headache, but no voice came out from my mouth.

 

I pulled myself up to my feet then. I ran towards my bedroom, searching for something else. I remembered I had saved _it_ , but where was _that thing_ now? I didn’t care that I had made the stuff in my bedroom scattered around the floor. I needed to find _it_! Then I finally found it. I grabbed the jewellery box from inside the drawer of my nightstand, opening it. The thing that I was looking for rested inside the box. I took it in my hand, eyeing it for a second. It was the silver necklace I had taken with me by accident on _that day_ , when the incident happened a year ago. I believed it belonged to the light brown-haired man I had kept hostage. Somewhat hesitating, I fingered the heart-shaped locket and finally opened it. Inside the locket, there were photos of that cop and my hostage who happened to be the florist!

 

I shut my eyes tightly, tightening my grip on the necklace in my hand. It certainly frustrated me because I still didn’t get the answers I wanted, although I had found out that man’s identity and his relationship with the florist. However, what was with all these flashbacks? Why did those two keep appearing in my mind? Yes, I had shot him; I might have killed him even. Yes, I had committed a sin. However, how could I be having memories of them? Especially the florist… My heart throbbed painfully again, I nearly cursed when suddenly a realisation hit me. This heart… who had donated it to me? Could it be…? I grabbed my phone, dialling a certain number. I knew I wouldn’t get the answer that easily, but I really needed to know who had donated this heart to me!

 

~*~

 

I was sitting on the floor, head resting back on the edge of my bed. Never before in my entire life, had I felt this lifeless. The phone still rested in my open palm, the silver necklace in my other one. My eyes were wide open, but I was staring blankly. I didn’t want to believe the doctor’s words earlier. I didn’t want to believe that the cop I had shot a year ago had fallen into a comatose state, never regaining consciousness; therefore, the parents signed the consent form so that he could donate his vital organs. I didn’t want to believe that on the same day, I had a heart attack and nearly died. I didn’t want to believe that it was his heart that had been transplanted into my body. I didn’t want to believe that I was now still alive because… because of him.

 

What was the meaning of all of this? Did God give me a second chance to live to erase my sins? How? By continuing Kohara Kazamasa’s life in the form of my body? By returning the necklace to the real owner—the light brown-haired florist—and telling him everything? How would he respond? I’d never know unless I tried. Yes. Slowly but surely, I pulled myself up to my feet again. I grasped the necklace tightly in my hand. I had to return it to him… to _Saga_. Yes, I had to.

***

**  
Saga’s POV   
**

 

It was so late and I knew I had to close the shop now. I rose up from my chair, grabbing my belongings, including the bouquet of lilies that the dark-haired customer had given to me. After checking everything, I approached the door and opened it. I turned around to lock it. When I was done, I stayed still and heaved a sigh. That dark-haired man’s face couldn’t seem to get out of my head. _Tora_ … Who was he? Why did it seem like I saw Shou within him? I shook my head slowly and turned on my heels to leave. I had my head bowed down, one hand clutching the bouquet. I had only walked for a few steps when suddenly I saw a pair of shoes in front of me. I lifted my face up, finding _him_ staring at me intently. Yes, it was Tora. Why did he come back? Did he leave his stuff here? However, the look on his face told me a different story. He looked like he was in pain again. I didn’t understand. Was he ill?

 

Neither of us spoke a word. Even when he finally moved forward approaching me, I stayed in my spot. Once we were just a foot away from each other, he took something out from inside his trouser pocket. He had his bowed down as he offered his hand to me, opening the palm so that I could see the thing that lay in it. The bouquet in my hand fell to the ground and I was at a loss of words once I realised what _it_ was. It was my lost necklace. The necklace Shou had given to me. My hand was trembling when I took my necklace from his hand. I felt a single tear fall from my left eye, as I stared at the necklace with wide eyes. I had failed to notice that the dark haired-man in front of me was now clutching his chest, kneeling on the ground. Did he fall? When did it happen? I didn’t move even an inch from where I was standing, too weak to do so. I vaguely heard the man speak. What did he say?

 

“… I’m deeply sorry.”

 

Tears wet my face now, as I grasped the necklace very tightly. I was a complete mess of sobs, trying hard to steady myself. He finally stood up, seemingly using most of his strength to do so. He said nothing when he turned around to leave. I opened my mouth to speak.

 

“Don’t go…” I heard my own hoarse voice.

 

He stopped, but didn’t turn around. Then I forced my feet to move. I stepped closer to him, stopping right behind him. Without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around his torso, pressing one of my palms onto his chest, exactly where his heart was.

 

“… Shou… It’s you, isn’t it?” I asked between my sobs.

 

He didn’t answer. Instead, he placed his own hand above mine. I sobbed louder.

 

“I’m… Tora,” I heard him whisper.  
“Please…” I pleaded, “Just for a moment, let me believe that I’m holding Shou.”

 

I felt him hold my hand tighter. I felt warm liquid fall onto my other hand. He was crying too… Before I could notice it, he had spun around without breaking the hug. He held my body even tighter.

 

“I’m so sorry… _Saga_ ,” he said, addressing me by my name.

 

I cried harder when all of a sudden, he lifted my chin up with his fingers and kissed me on the lips. It was wrong, because he wasn’t Shou. It was true that the heart used to belong to Shou, but the man who was kissing me now was someone else. However, I kissed him back. I moved my lips with his desperately, hugging him tighter so that I could feel his heartbeat… _Shou_ ’s heartbeat.

 

** Tora’s POV **

 

Once my lips pressed against his, I knew that this was the reason why I got the second chance to live. It was hard to say this, but… yes, we were destined to meet and… be together. I felt my heart pounding hard, I was sure the florist could feel it. It wasn’t throbbing painfully now, which felt like a miracle. Was it what Kohara Kazamasa wanted too? To continue living within my body so that he could forever love the man I was kissing now? If that was what he and God wanted, so be it.

> _Timeless… It isn’t separation, is it?  
>  If there’s one life, it’s us now._

****

-END OF STORY-

**Author's Note:**

> Find this story also [on LiveJournal](http://junakabisque.livejournal.com/450.html).


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